Galveston County was formed by an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas on May 15, 1838. Under that act, William F. Wilson was appointed the County’s first Sheriff. One of his first acts was to establish a county jail, which was placed in the Elbe, a vessel beached during a hurricane in 1837.

In that era, just as now, the Sheriff had the responsibility for maintaining law and order in the county, operating the county jail, and, in certain cases, carrying out sentences – including death sentences – for persons found guilty of crimes. In November, 1840, Sheriff Wilson was ordered by Judge Shelby, judge of the 1st Judicial District, to hang a man after he had been convicted of burglary and “prison-breaking.” With regret, and with cries from the public not to carry out the sentence, Sheriff Wilson took the man to the gallows in what was reportedly the first hanging in the County’s history. The last Sheriff that had to carry out such a sentence – according to available information – took place around 1886 under Sheriff William Owens.

In 1841, the newly-elected Sheriff, H. M. Smythe, took office. Soon thereafter, Texas President David Burnet appointed a judge, Thomas Johnson, to serve in the 1st Judicial District but did not remove Judge Shelby from the bench. Recognizing Judge Johnson as the true judge, Sheriff Smythe found himself trying to perform his duties alongside another Sheriff, William Herring. There is no known record of any other county in Texas that had two sheriffs in office at the same time. The matter was soon corrected, and Sheriff Smythe remained in office until 1844.

A number of men served as Sheriff of the county, some appointed but many elected by the populous:

1838-1840

William F. Wilson

1873-1876

Joe Atkins

1841-1844

H. M. Smythe

1877-1880

Chris Jordan

1841

William Herring

1881-1886

William P. Owens

1845

William F. Wilson

1887-1895

Pat Tiernan

1846-1850

Pryor Bryan

1896-1922

Henry Thomas

1851-1852

William N. Sparks

1923-1931

Robert E. Kirk

1853-1854

John N. Reed

1931-1932

Claude J. Allen

1855-1856

David N. Grove

1933-1956

Frank L. Biaggne

1857-1860

J. H. Westerlage

1957-1960

Paul Hopkins

1861-1863

C. L. McCarty

1961-1980

J. B. Kline

1864

Alvin Reed

1981-2000

Joe Max Taylor

1865

C. L. McCarty

2001-2008

M E. “Gean” Leonard, Jr.

1866-1871

Frank Dirks

2009-2012

Freddie Poor

1872

Joe A. Owens

2013 - Present

Henry Trochesset

In January, 1957, Sheriff Hopkins took over the office with a staff of five deputies, one secretary, and a handful of jailers that operated a four-story pre-1900 jail facility, located at what is now the area of 17th Street and Harborside Drive in Galveston.

Sheriff Henry Trochesset, in January of 2013 began his tenure with more than 430 sworn- and non-sworn personnel operating a modern jail facility able to house 1,187 inmates.